Actress Jacqueline Jossa of EastEnders has suggested that Lauren Branning will make a long-term comeback.
Fans of EastEnders were teased by Jacqueline Jossa about Lauren Branning possibly making a permanent return to Albert Square. During an Instagram Q&A about the BBC soap, the actress responded to a follower’s query. Lauren made an appearance at Dot Cotton’s funeral earlier this month, which suggests that she might show up again quickly.
When the actress invited her 3.5 million Instagram followers to ask her any questions, speculation about her time on Walford quickly gained traction.
Will you ever return to EastEnders full-time, a fan questioned.
I loved coming back, and I was so happy to see you in my DMs, maybe one day,” she teased.
Jacqueline sent a response along with a picture of herself dressed as the well-known Branning character.
When Lauren came back for Dot’s funeral, she quickly found herself in some intense scenes with the main characters of the show.
During the poignant episode, she gave Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) a warm embrace.
The focus then shifted to Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), the woman she confronted in the Queen Vic about having an affair with her father Max (Jake Wood).
Jacqueline also alluded to a long-term return before the poignant funeral episode, which also featured Colin Russell (Lord Michael Cashman) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) returning.
At a press conference before the episode, the star told Express.co.uk and other reporters: “She’s [Lauren] popping in, seeing old friends.
“I think she’s there to show people that the Brannings still have a future and that there is hope,” says the speaker.
Lauren was last portrayed by Jacqueline in 2018, after her character left Walford after going through a difficult time.
She made the decision to relocate to New Zealand after her sister Abi passed away. She did this despite having survived a terrifying fall from the Queen Vic’s roof.
Recently, the soap opera has seen some high-profile returns and departures, with Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) being the most recent.
He met Linda again on a dramatic Christmas Day, and he was able to expose Janine’s (Charlie Brooks) deceit.
She had intended to frame Linda for crashing a car while intoxicated, but her daughter Scarlett revealed her scheme (Tabitha Brown).
Mick became lost at sea while diving in to save Linda, who was on the beach next to Janine, following a car chase and cliff-jumping accident.
After Dot’s wake, The Square is currently grieving the loss of another iconic figure, but one party was missing, which confused some fans.
Callum Highway (Tony Clay), a close friend of Mick’s and his best man, was absent from the episode.
The police officer’s absence was criticized by some viewers because the two even cohabitated when Callum first moved to Walford.
This year’s soap opera features a variety of daring plotlines, so perhaps the Brannings’ comeback is imminent.
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